Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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Posted this over on audioholics and thought you guys may be intersted. First off, This is not a professional review. Man oh man would that be a stressful job! Secondly its not 100% scientifically controlled in the parts where i am comparing speakers. If this doesn't bother you then read on! I was lucky enough to have aquired a set of Axiom M3 Vassallo Series in Piano Gloss white finish about a month ago and have been using them as computer speakers since. I decided it was time to really set them up properly in a more traditional arrangement and see how they stack up against my other pair of speakers which are Axiom M80v2's For the comparison I level matched them but used my Odyssey Khartago monoblocks for the M80's and my Jolida tube amp for the M3's so keep in mind were comparing Tube to SS amplification as well. I have done listening between the two amplifiers in question on the same set of speakers and felt the Odyssey were smoother,More natural and cleaner sounding but for this test I think the differences wont matter that much. As computer speakers they performed as expected. Very well. I have built custom stands for them and am powering them with a Jolida JD302b tube amp using the output of my Audigy 2 soundcard as a source. At first the nearfield arrangement took a bit of getting used to as I was used to using my main stereo on the other side of the room for computer music and the placement of the M3's isint exactly ideal as they are 7' apart and i am only sitting maybe 4' from where the drivers would be if you drew a straight line between the speakers. I have noticed that they seemed to have a bit of a peak in the upper bass area when i had them setup for the computer but when I set them up for real listening tests I did not notice this peak. One change though was that they arent in corners for the listening tests. Besides the obvious georgeous fit and finish on the axioms the Vassallo Series also sports an all metal tweeter which is a feature not found on the standard line. While the change may be purely cosmetic and whatever psychological effects come with an all metal tweeter vs one with a plastic faceplate, It still is a nice feature that I think most people wouldnt even notice. I did not notice it until I was polishing the speakers and felt how cold they were. Since what really matters here is how they actually sounded in a proper setup lets just get to it. Very Good! First disc up was Alison Krauss- A Hundred Miles or More My favorite track on this disc is number 11, Whiskey Lullaby with Brad paisley. Not only is the song very good but I think it displays what a speaker sounds like with both good female and male vocals. I thought the M3's performed quite well in areas of detail and treble, Very clean, Deatiled and smooth. I felt they are slightly more laid back speakers than my M80's in this region with just a bit less resolution. The vocals is one area however where on their own, the M3's are very natural and smooth sounding, But really cant hold their own to the M80 because they lack the richness and fullness, with a bigger more realistic sound. Keep in mind I am comparing a $330 set of speakers (nearly double that in this finish but finish has nothing to do with sound) to a $1,300 set of speakers. Bass is really the area where you soon find out the M3's limitations. While Listening to the m3's I did not find myself really dissapointed with the lack of bass. These are bookshelf speakers afterall so if you want to mine the depths your going to need a sub that pretty much goes without saying. With crude listening tests with test tones I feel they only deliver down to about 45hz so on most tracks the biggest difference between the M3 and the M80 soon becomes apparent. However if I had not already been spoiled with bass of the larger floorstanders I could easily imagine myself happy with just the M3's on their own. I felt that in areas of filling a room and keeping their composure they did very well. I Really had not expected to get that clean and full of a sound out of a small 2 way speaker vs the large 3 ways I am used to. Next cd up was Pirates of the Carribean soundtrack "At Worlds End" I like this cd because it has proven to be a good test of amplifier as well as speaker capabilities when things really get complicated. This is one cd where The M3 didnt do as well as I had expected after hearing what they could do with Alison Krauss. I am not sure if I was running out of amplifier power or the M3's capabilities in volume were getting tested but they did not handle the complex and powerfull nature of the last track (#13 IIRC) They seemed to loose soundstage definition and seemed like they hadnt much more to give at the volume I was listening at, Wheras the M80 sounds like it could easily make me give out before they ever would at higher volumes. Which really, cant be counted as a fault of the M3's because again, They are not meant to be filling large rooms at 105db like the M80's are. The lack of lower bass takes quite a bit of energy away from the music on this type of material so if this was all I listened to then a sub definetly would be needed. Lastly I put in Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon on SACD The first track I wanted to listen to was "time" as the opening sequence with the clocks all going off is usually a good test if a speaker is too bright for my tastes. I judge this by if I cringe or not. Rather reasonable test I would say Well, I did not cringe, The clocks all going off was clean and detailed, The real real Rockin' hardcore guitar line in the beginning didnt quite have the guts and depth that it does on the floorstanders but once again, Apples to oranges. What matters most to me in a speaker is detail, and sounding natural and smooth. Its hard to really do a meaningfull comparison to other bookshelve's as I havent heard any that are worth mentioning as of yet and its hard to rate how good or bad something is without comparing it to something else so bare with me. On Money I was equally pleased with how good they sounded, And while they do sound like smaller speakers, without the low bass and the fullness of the midrange, With a sub these could easily be a very impressive set of speakers for less than say 6-700 dollars (with the sub) Wrapping up The main points of the review are this: The GoodThey easily filled my rather large room on most material without sounding stressed or unnatural.The Transition from woofer to tweeter seems very well done and I really didnt notice any peaks or dips in the sound. For $330 these are really an awesome set of speakers. I have installed quite a number of things like LCR bars and other smaller speakers that cost considerably more and These really do them shame in a bad way. If i hadnt had the room for floorstanders or the budget I would be very satisfied with just these even without a sub. Only when compared directly to my other speakers could I really tell the areas where they are lacking. The BadWhile I am not sure you could file these under the "bad" since I doubt any other speakers of comparable cost and size would be any better, They do not have the last word in bass extension. No revelations there. They definetly put out more bass in the corners where I keep them for computer listening than they do out in the open room but that also added a bit of an upper bass hump that I didnt really like very much. Also, The midrange just lacks Something. Not on their own, But when compared to the M80 they just lack the fullness and i guess, balls that the bigger speakers have. The three way design definetly has some attraction for this reason vs the 2 way IMO. And lastly they did not seem to like the complicated tracks on the pirates of the carribean cd, And were not able to keep their composure at louder levels (which really to me is the only way to properly enjoy this kind of music) All faults of the speaker or simple limitations of the fact these are a set of small bookshelves. You can be the judge yourself but Im going to say that they are simple limitations of what can be offered in a small package for $330 Without having something in their same price range and size to compare them to there is no real meaningfull measure that I could give them but I will definetly be reccomending these for people who want a good set of speakers for a relatively small amount of money. And also that I have been surprised what a small set of bookshelf speakers can really do. A couple pics of how I had them setup..
Last edited by Haoleb; 01/15/08 09:27 AM.
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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Nice review. Those speakers look great in that white finish too. Only one question remains... how do the M83s sound ?
M60ti, VP180, QS8, M2ti, EP500, PC-Plus 20-39 M5HP, M40ti, Sierra-1 LFR1100 active, ADA1500-4 and -8
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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Only one question remains... how do the M83s sound ? That very thought came to my mind whenever I was reading The Bad and The Good segments. Thanks Brandon, very well done indeed...beautiful speakers also.
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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Nice review. Just one comment.
You played the clock chimes in Time at a starting level of 105db ??
I'd be cringing alright regardless of what speaker it was. Not from the sound but from what would end up in my pants....
With great power comes Awesome irresponsibility.
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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Nice review. Just one comment.
You played the clock chimes in Time at a starting level of 105db ??
I'd be cringing alright regardless of what speaker it was. Not from the sound but from what would end up in my pants.... No, I dont think i had anything going at 105db. Well... Maybe the M80's when i was playing the pirates track for a couple of seconds. I was a bit surprised really because I thought for sure that the M3 wouldnt be able to deliver enough output to match what I usually listen to with the M80, But I was wrong! Well except for that pirates of the carribean cd.
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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aficionado
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Dave
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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Great review. I also have a pair of M3s and plan to purchase M80s when space and finances permit, so thanks for the comparison.
2-M3s, 1-VP100, HSU STF-1, Xbox 360
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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I'm not trying to muckrake, and I really do appreciate the thoughtful review.
Are you confident that the lack of composure of the M3's at high levels on the Pirates material had nothing to do with the amplification?
bibere usque ad hilaritatem
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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It would be hard to say without hooking them up to my Odysseys which is a bit of a pain. The amp is rated at 50 wpc so it could very well have been running out of juice. I have have to bite the bullet and just hook them up to the big boys to find out. Stay Tuned
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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shareholder in the making
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This is why God made banana plugs.
I am the Doctor, and THIS... is my SPOON!
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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Naaah.....Bannana plugs are for Low current litte fairy amps. Thats why I decided to use some huge ring lugs instead. I think they were rated at something like 200-250 amps IIRC.
Last edited by Haoleb; 01/16/08 12:56 AM.
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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shareholder in the making
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I am the Doctor, and THIS... is my SPOON!
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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connoisseur
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200A?? That's about 21,600Watts... Hope you connect directly to your local Hydro's tower!
See Mojo's signature
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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axiomite
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This is why God made banana plugs. Maybe that's why some cable companies charge so much. At least the Big Guy is good with a soldering iron. . .
*********** "Nothin' up my sleeve. . ." --Bullwinkle J. Moose
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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Good review, Brandon. The M3s by themselves are killer little speakers. Only when you compare them directly to capable floorstanders do the small trade-offs become more apparent. I assume that is the case with most bookshelves vs. floorstanders.
Yeah, I agree with Tom, hook those guys up to your Khartagos and see how "Pirates" sounds.
*********** "Nothin' up my sleeve. . ." --Bullwinkle J. Moose
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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funny how this brings me back to the listening session at Mojo's place with M3's, 22's, 60's and 80's.
The M3's were my least favorite speaker as they were the most laid back. I thought the 80's were amazing, the 22's were my next favorite for their clarity and the 60's has more bass extension, but were not as transparent.
But all that being said, the M3's were a great bookshelf with more bass than the 22's, so without a sub, its the best choice.
Next week I'm gonna pull the trigger and get myself a pair for a 2ch setup in the family room.....finally.
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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Gave the M3's another listen being powered by the Khartago mono's and they did indeed seem to have some more control vs the jolida, But I still think they just ran out of steam at a certain point. I think the most interesting thing about these is that when I listen to them without doing direct comparions and switching very quickly, I really cannot find any faults with them. I dont listen to a song and think, Well, im missing this, this and this. I just dont. I have always been a floorstanding speaker type of person. I like the way they look and their size, But i sure could have saved myself alot of money and been much happier years back If i had thought to get the M3's vs the JBL floorstanders I ended up getting while ruling out bookshelves because I didnt think they could fill a room. That is definetly not accurate anymore
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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I think the most interesting thing about these is that when I listen to them without doing direct comparions and switching very quickly, I really cannot find any faults with them. I dont listen to a song and think, Well, im missing this, this and this. I just dont. That's exactly what I felt!
*********** "Nothin' up my sleeve. . ." --Bullwinkle J. Moose
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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....I listen to them without doing direct comparions and switching very quickly, I really cannot find any faults with them. I dont listen to a song and think, Well, im missing this, this and this. I just dont.
After listening to almost every speaker Axiom has(just missing the M2) I can say this about all of them, when on their own, even the M22s.
Jason M80 v2 VP160 v3 QS8 v2 PB13 Ultra Denon 3808 Samsung 85" Q70
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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Yeah, I haven't heard the M2s yet, either. Or the EP125, EP175, EP350. But all the rest of the speakers currently in production, I've heard and been impressed by.
I am the Doctor, and THIS... is my SPOON!
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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axiomite
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Nice. Thanks!
Those cables look, um, adequate.
bibere usque ad hilaritatem
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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For those that have the room but not the cash, save up until you have enough to buy 80s. You won't regret the wait.
House of the Rising Sone Out in the mid or far field Dedicated mid-woofers are over-rated
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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For those that have the room but not the cash, save up until you have enough to buy 80s. You won't regret the wait. Yeah, I have to agree with you there. While the M3's are very, Very good for the money, The M80's really are worth the extra cash in my mind.
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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Shut up.
bibere usque ad hilaritatem
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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I'm glad I started out with the M80s To bad they aren't the V2 though
Rick
"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." Sigmund Freud
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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I was going to get a pair of the M3 but after reading the review I'm not sure now.
Jerry
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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axiomite
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Jerry, what will you mainly be using your speakers for?
*********** "Nothin' up my sleeve. . ." --Bullwinkle J. Moose
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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I will be using them for just music.Classic rock.Nothing terribly loud.It's either the M3 or the Ascend 170.
Last edited by jerrymb; 01/27/08 10:36 PM.
Jerry
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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I was going to get a pair of the M3 but after reading the review I'm not sure now. Unless you were torn between the M3 and the M80, Then I can tell you without a doubt the M3 is a very good choice for the size and money.
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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axiomite
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I agree with Brandon. Jerry, here's a link to a review I did of the M3s versus a couple other speakers. I can tell you, the M3s will work very well for your purpose.
*********** "Nothin' up my sleeve. . ." --Bullwinkle J. Moose
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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Thanks.The Ascend 170 gets spectacular reviews also.Does anyone know how these two speakers compare? How are they different?
Jerry
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Re: Axiom M3 review/ M3vs M80 shootout!
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Does the MB mean Manitoba, Jerry? If so, you can demo my M3s and see just how awful those who have never heard them think they are. Bren R.
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